Shards Online opens up a public weekend event

Does Shards Online sound interesting to you? Well, then, why not play it? Starting at 4:00 p.m. EDT today and running through the weekend, anyone can download the game's current client and jump in on the pre-alpha servers for free. Moreover, anyone can just as freely discuss what they see in the game, with no NDA in place (not that having one would make much of a difference here, obviously).

The only caveat is that this is a pre-alpha preview, which means that the version of the game that you'll be seeing is still in a very rough and unfinished state. But if you've been curious about the game's Kickstarter campaign but reluctant to donate without seeing the game in action, here's your chance to get in the game and find out more for yourself. We'll also be streaming from inside the game on Saturday, if you'd like to watch but don't have the time to jump in yourself.